The Next trip – Scotland’s West Highland Way
Well, its time to book in the next trip, 2011 is here and we’re not getting any younger! There is a lot of world out there!
2010 was a relatively quite year in travel for us, with only 3 trips, and only our fortnight in the Mekong Delta, and Phu Quoc island, the only new destination. The other two trips were really just getaways, to the perennial Australian favourite holiday destination – Bali. This was probably to be expected, having needed to recover from 2009, where we visited Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal and India, over an extended 3 months of travel.
Anyhow, We have decided to go a bit further afield this year, yet wanted to continue on our passion to hike. Annapurna base camp trek in Nepal got us into it, and for-filled a long term goal for us, so we have decided to make part of our next holiday to also have a trek (or walk) included. Having visited Scotland back in 2000, we have always remembered our few days driving through the highlands fondly, and even then, though it would be a special place to hike.
So, a little research, and voila – we have decided on -
The West Highland Way
This hike is probably going to be 8 days, and we will walk from Glasgow, 152km north to finish at Fort William. The official website -http://www.west-highland-way.co.uk/home.asp, gives a lot of information, and we also got hold of the Trailblazer book – West Highland Way, by Charlie Loram.
Trailblazer
We bought the book through a major Australian book retailer, but i am sure you can also refer to their website, http://trailblazer-guides.com/book/west-highland-way. As I haven’t been on the hike yet, I have no photos, so I have used a couple off the official website above, just so readers get a “feel” for our adventure!
A little investigation has shown this a to be an officially designated walking path, marked throughout with way-markers. It is well maintained, and by the sound of it, quite busy. This doesn’t bother us greatly, as Annapurna Base camp trek was like a highway in parts, but you still manage to catch peaceful and quite patches as well. We expect it will be a little easier than Annapurna Base camp, although hope it will still have plenty of “ups and downs”. One way it will be tougher, is we will have to carry our own pack, but the trade-off is we think we will be able to stay in B&Bs and even hotels each night.
We have a bit of research to do yet, but at this stage, we think May should be convenient for us, and also a recommended time on the walk. In addition, we think we will add a week or so to the trip, and visit a snippet of Italy on the way home. We are still working on these details as well, as more info to come on that one.
At this stage – we would love to hear from anyone who has done the West Highland Way, and hear how great it was! We need inspiration, so we can get a bit of a fitness regime going (remember at 40+ you go soft, quickly!)
The Nepalese Truck-Stop Diet – 6kg in 8 days!!
PLEASE BE AWARE, THAT THIS IS NOT A SERIOUS DIET , It is a tongue in cheek take on a personal experience!.
Below is my step by step guide to my Nepalese Curry Diet. To achieve the same results as I did, you need to follow these instructions precisely, as even seemingly unnecessary steps, such as step 2, are critical in achieving noticeable results -
Before the "diet"
1.Arrive in Kathmandu
2. Eat Doggy Chicken Curry at a truck-stop cafe. I know, everyone says don’t eat it, but you need to show your travel companions how cool you are, l even though you know it looks “sus”.
3. Find cheap hotel in Pokhara, and proceed to spend next 24 hours completely emptying contents of your stomach, both intestines and bowels. Make sure you sweat profusely the whole time. Don’t leave the room, in-fact spend the entire time either in your bed, or on the bathroom floor.
4. Wait until the stomach craps stop, then prepare to head off on 8 day Annapurna Base camp trek. Don’t eat before you go, as you cannot stomach anything.
5. Walk approximately 170km, continually ascending and descending hills and valleys, to you reach a maximum height of 4130m above see level. Stop for water and soft-drinks regularly, but completely loose your appetite. Find the only food you could even contemplate eating is soup (luckily Nepalese garlic soup is sensational), which you eat twice a day.
After the "Diet", 8 days later
6. Finally leave the path a Phedi, and taxi back top Pokhara. Go to dinner in town and (finally) devour a steak (buffalo, not cow). Weigh yourself to find you have dropped 6kg…EASY!!!
It should be noted, the Annapurna Base camp trek is still one of the most amazing experiences I have embarked on, and, in addition, apart from the truck-stop snack, I would gladly repeat the entire experience at the drop of a hat. Kathmandu is a must see city on any adventures list, and Pokhara is a wonderful town to spend a week or more. I still long for the Garlic Soup sometimes, as it was truly wonderful, and obviously nourishing!
REMINDER – THIS IS NOT A REAL DIET
Travel Luggage for the Over 40 Long Term Traveler
Firstly, I need it to be noted, that I HATE travel bloggers who post about selecting the right backpack! It is an extremely boring post topic, and clearly written by most travelers because they have either scored a free backpack, or they want to. I recommended the “UltraGlide 1000″ because…!!
I guarantee this post is NOT like them! I thought it may actually be useful to the 40 plus long term traveler to share a few of my experiences with different types of luggage, and how they work for the long term traveler, who just happens to be 40 or more. I have done overland travel with a backpack, with duffel bags, and with suitcases, and am going to give a quick summary of each, with advantages and disadvantages (in order of worst to best) -
Duffle Bag, Backpack and suitcases!
Duffel Bags – On our first trip to Vietnam, we decided Duffel bags would be a good way to go. Our reasoning was we would be on and off buses and trains for most of the trip, and they would be easy to throw into luggage holds, and to sit and lie on if necessary. What we failed to consider, is that they are quite awkward to carry, as you need to hold them out from your body, that most hotels in Vietnam at the time were multistory, but did not have lifts, and that I was travelling with my 48kg wife and 13 year old daughter! Ultimately, the disadvantages of the Duffel bag, far outweighed the advantages, and I can think of very few times when a duffel bag would be the best option (except when you join the army!!)
Backpack – well, when you are in the back-blocks, it is what everyone else is carrying. They Are of various sizes,and sometimes you wonder how young girls are keeping these things on their backs! The answer is, THEY ARE 20!! The only time the backpack is the best option for a 40 plus traveler, is when you genuinely need to carry your luggage over a considerable distance. We carried a backpack when we did the Annapurna Base Camp trek, as we left the road on day one, and didn’t see a vehicle or road for the next 9. In that case, you need to carry you ESSENTIALS with you, so at least a backpack spreads the weight over you shoulders, where you can bear the most weight. However, even in this case, we carries only day-packs, and paid a porter to carry our backpack! If you are over 40, ONLY carry a backpack in extreme circumstances, as once you put all your gear on your back, it is f!!!ing heavy!!
Backpacks are great (when your porter carries it!)
Suitcase – I know, it is such a boring piece of luggage!, but honestly, it is by a country mile, the best option in 99.5% of situations. We now ALWAYS carry a small (around 70l) suitcase each, with an extend-able pull handle, and on wheels (they all are now, anyway). It doesn’t look cool, but, honestly, as a 40 plus year old traveler, you are not going to look cool anyway! (get a tattoo if you want to). On a couple of occasions, when catching a water taxi between islands in Thailand and Indonesia, and having to get off the boat 20 meters from shore, suitcases have been humiliating, but as soon as you are on a solid road, you luggage choice is validated immediately! On arriving at Railay beach once, we were embarrassed to try any carry suitcases out of the water and up a busy beach, but once we had to walk around for an hour to find accommodation, we were more than happy to be able to pull our luggage around!
So, I am not talking brands or features (Hello, sponsorship opportunity??), I might later (sic). But I just, really, cant see many situations, where a 40 year old, long term traveler, would not be best suited with a nice, small and portable suitcase (and a day-pack - I recommend the MaxiGlide1000)! Anywho, enough of my chatter, what do you think??
Is Long Term Travel Wasted on the Young?
I read a lot of travel blogs, and I travel quite regularly to some of the more popular “backpacker” friendly countries in Asia.
And I notice that most of the long term travelers are backpackers, and I estimate most of their ages to be between 18 and about 25. I don’t think these young folk shouldn’t be travelling, in-fact, I wish I had traveled a lot more extensively when I was that age. But, although this is a massive generalisation, I do think that many of these young travelers are more looking for a party and and adrenaline rush that a travel experience.
If a travelers primary objective is to have a party every night, with others of a similar background to themselves, and they move from one destination to another, but look to have the same experiences, then they don’t really need to be traveling. In this scenario, they don’t necessarily need to be on a Thai Island to get this experience. (I sort of think the same principle applies to Bungee jumping!)
Fun Experiance - Sonkran Celebrations
I think the older traveler is probably the one who, potentially, can benefit most from long term travel. Yet, I am always disappointed to see how few people in the 40 year age bracket are on the road, enjoying long term, close to the community travel. For the 40+ year old, travel seams to be 5 days in a luxury resort, and then straight back to work. An, I think there lies the catch 22.
Most people in the 40′s don’t travel long term, as they cannot afford to, ether financially or time-wise. As we age, we stack our lives with commitments that tie us to our homes, jobs and families, a commitment the 18 year old has not yet gotten drawn into.
It just seams unjust that the age I think most suitable to long term traveling, probably 35 – 50, is the very age where least people are actually doing it. This in an age where we are still physically capable to traveling a bit rough if necessary, of walking and swimming extensively enough, but also we are an age less likely to become obsessed in our pursuit of alcohol, the other sex, parties and “thrills”. Controversially, I think we at 40+ are also more patient as well as better observers than the young, and would, therefore, are likely to get a better ”feel” or understanding of other cultures, customs and countries.
Yet so few of us (40+ year olds) do it?
Comments are welcome, even from angry young people! (I have included shinny pictures to hold your interest)
Life Experiance - Walking the Himalaya
Is Bali a good base for the Long Term Traveler?
Hey long term travelers,
why don’t travel bloggers choose to spend long term stints in Bali? It seam to me to be almost the perfect location for digital nomads, yet most of the travel bloggers and other long term travelers I read about, seam to choose Thailand as their base in South East Asia. In addition, Columbia in South America also seams to be one of the big locations.
But why not Bali?
Surf's Up!
I think it has so much going for it that should be absolutely perfect from Travel Bloggers, and I have chosen to act as a “Travel Blogger Recruitment Officer” and am offering the following reasons why YOU should consider BALI!
For example -
- Temperature - Bali is year round tropical paradise. Maximum temps are always around 30 degrees Celsius, (maybe up to 33 in the hottest time of year), and overnight minimums (away from the mountains) are 25 or more. This is serious “summer all year” stuff!
- Costs – everything is ridiculously cheap in Bali. With an exchange rate at close to 10,000 Indonesian Rupiah to the US dollar, the product for your dollar is great, weather you are American, English, European, Australian or just about anywhere else (except NZ, of course!). eat for 2 -3 dollars on the cheap, or $10 in a cheaper restaurant, beer for $1 a litre, motorbike rental for a few dollars a day, etc
- Accommodation – a great rage of accommodation, both long term and short term. Many cheaper hotel offer good monthly rates, and there is plenty of quality accommodation in villas for longer term. Short term, hotel rooms are available from $20 per night and less.
- Good Internet - Free Internet is available at cafes and restaurants everywhere,and most hotels and villas have good speed wireless networks.
Bintang and Wifi - what else do you need?
- Socialisation – there is plenty of nightlife, plenty of expats, and there should be plenty of bloggers (but I don’t think there is?).
- Friendly locals – Balinese love tourists, and are natural friendly people. They enjoy long term visitors, who will usually be culturally more sensitive than yobbos in 6 day booze-fests.
- Variety – Its a small island, but it has many different facets. Kuta is busy and commercial, the other beaches are much quieter, the North is Volcanic and quite, the mountains are cool and “arty”. And then there are the other islands easily accessible from Bali, including Lombok, Java, Lembongan, and thousands more not much further away.
- Travel hub – good access to the rest of Indonesia, South east Asia and the world. Garuda, the national airline, is now flying back to Europe, and considered one of the most improved airlines in the world, and Air Asia use Bali as a hub in the region, giving access to dozens of exotic locations.
So, I would love to hear why or why not, long term travelers would choose to live here, at least for a few months. Travel Bloggers in particular. Its my plan, just not quite sure when yet!
Tipping Hotel Staff in Bali?
Tipping… oh my god, what a confusing, hard to understand concept.
Yes, you guessed it, I am AUSTRALIAN!!
And we just have no clue how, when or who we should tip when we are in countries where tipping is standard practice, considering we would virtually never tip at home.
So, I am not a complete idiot, and I realise I need to tip the porter who brings my bags to my room, as well as the waiter or waitress who serves my meal, but who else? Where do you draw the line? I don’t know!
So these are my dilemmas. I am going to list a series of scenarios I faced while in Bali last week, and weather or not I should have tipped the people involved.
- Breakfast we delivered to my villa, it was included in the cost of thew room, so I didn’t pay at the time, But should I have tipped the kitchen staff who delivered?
- We had a spa day. 3 hours, with a series of services from different staff. Should we have tipped each person?
- Our Villa complex had a small reception crew, who we regularly spoke to us, we asked them to call us taxis, confirm flights etc. Should we have tipped them, and would you have to tip all half a dozen of the staff.
Should we have tipped?
I just never know, so if in doubt, I don’t tip! I think the Balinese are probably understanding of this, as so many Australians visit, but I’m sure they would love to train us better!
Mmmm. I must be feeling guilty, because the hospitality at the Astana Kunti Villas was absolutely sensational. Consider them if you are looking at visiting Seminyak, Bali. http://www.bali-seminyak-villas.com/villas/astanakunti/index.html
Himalayan Trekking when your over 40, do you need to going a group tour?
Last year, we visited Nepal, as part of our 3 month Asia tour, with the express intention of doing a trek of some description. We did limited forward planning in regard to which trek we would be taking, or how we would take it, but we did make sure we did a reasonable amount of fitness and trekking training. I am going to talk about trek fitness preparation in a following post, but this post I want to discuss whether or not potential travelers need to organise a trek from their home country, in advance? In particular, with reference to potential travelers who is not a young, carefree backpackers, but instead the 40+ year old traveler?
Short Answer – NO
Although I believe there is considerable pressure from travel agents and tour companies that a home country organised group tour, probably with a group leader from home, as well as a large local team, is the only way for a middle aged traveler to safely walk the Himalaya, in my opinion, this is not necessarily the ONLY option.
A quite momement!
I am not saying there is not going to be some benefits of being on a group trek, with a dozen or more similarly aged, same nationality hikers as yourself. However, there is also some major advantages of going it alone, getting to Kathmandu, finding a guide and/or porter and walking with them. For the over 40 year old in particular, some of the major advantages of an locally organised, independent trek are -
- Great ability in interact with your guide and/or porter
- With guides help, get a better interaction with locals
- Trek at your pace
- Amend your plans if you require
- Stay in Tea-houses instead of tent camps.
- All your expenditure goes to the Nepalese, and more of it goes to the people of the region you walk through
- In general, get a more “genuine” experience.
The second challenge, if you are considering the possibility of “going alone” on your trek, is that question that you find hard to get a convincing answer while in tour planning stage -
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO ORGANISE YOUR OWN TREK?
Short Answer – NOT DIFFICULT
Honestly, with a little research to know what trek you are considering taking, it is genuinely not difficult to organise all the details once you get to Nepal. There are travel agents and trekking companies in all parts of Kathmandu, as there is in the towns where the major treks depart from – Pokhara and Lukla.
Himalaya Hinterland
We organised a local Pokhara based guide, a porter from Kathmandu, a hotel in Pokhara, bus tickets from Kathmandu to Pokhara, all from a Kathmandu Travel Agent, and all of this cost about 1/10th (probably much less than that), of the cost of a trek organised and paid for in UK, USA or Australia. An example of our costs were
- Guide – $15.00 per day
- Porter – $10.00 per day
- Pre Trek Accommodation in Pokhara – $20.00 per night
- Bus from Kathmandu to Pokhara – $12.00
- Accommodation in tea houses on trek – $5.00 per night
- Meals while on trek – around $15.00 per day
So, in a nutshell – CONSIDER THIS OPTION
We genuinely believe this is the original way to trek the Himalaya. It is not impossible, and being over 40 is not an issue. While trekking, we met independent trekkers up to 70 years of age, and these people where all going to get to Annapurna Base camp, at 4100m above sea level. And that is a once n a lifetime experience at any age!!
